Bracelet



M. BERGER Jan. 15, 1963 BRACELET Filed Dec. 50, 1960 INVENTOR.

MAX

United States Patent 3,073,492 BRACELET Max Berger, 310 Lakeridge Road, San Antonio 29, Tex. Filed Dec. 30, 1960, Ser. No. 79,789 1 Claim. (Cl. 224-4) This invention pertains to watch bracelets and straps of the type utilized in connection with wrist watches, identification bracelets, and the like. Specifically, the invention relates to improvements in the means for connection of the bracelet to the watch, and to the construction of the bracelet or strap per se.

It is a primary object of the invention to supply wrist watch strap constructions which provide for selective variance in the appearance of the strap. In this connection, the invention finds particular adaptability to bracelets or straps of the expansion variety wherein a series of rectangular or trapezoidal lengths are pivotally connected to one another to form straps possessing a certain degree of flexibility.

\Another object of the invention is to provide a watch strap or bracelet having at least two readily changeable appearances, thereby to permit the wearer to vary the appearance of a strap in accordance With other jewelry or accessories, and to vary the colors thereof to accommodate changes in clothing or the like.

Another object of the invention is to provide a wrist watch strap construction wherein the strap is provided with two or more opposite, ornamental faces, the said faces being invertible with respect to the watch easing by means more fully described hereinafter.

Other and further objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent upon consideration of the following specification when read in conjunction with the annexed drawing, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a first form of watch strap constructed and assembled in accordance with the teachings of this invention;

FIGURE 2 is a second perspective view of the watch and strap of FIGURE 1, showing the strap portion in re versed or inverted location;

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary, enlarged detail cross-sectional view taken substantially on the section line 3--3 of FIGURE 1, looking in the direction of the arrows;

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged, fragmentary perspective view of a portion of the strap shown in FIGURES 1 through 3, illustrating details of construction of the connection means thereof;

FIGURE 5 is an enlarged, fragmentary, disassembled perspective view of a second form of connection means within the scope of this invention;

FIGURE 6 is a perspective view of another embodiment of the invention;

FIGURE 7- is an enlarged, perspective view showing details of a third form of connection means; and

FIGURE 8 is an enlarged, fragmentary detail sectional view taken on the vertical plane of sectional line 8-8 of FIGURE 7, looking in the direction of the arrows.

As appears from the fact that several forms of this invention have been illustrated, watch straps or bracelets of various styles and types may be modified and/ or constructed in accordance with the novel components described in more detail hereinafter without departure from the spirit and scope of this invention. The illustrated embodiments should be considered as exemplary of the invention, and not as an exhaustive treatment thereof.

In the several figures, the straps shown are applied to watch bodies or casings of conventional construction and design, herein generally denoted by reference character 20. Of course, an identification element or any other item desired to be worn about the wrist or other appendage of the body could be substituted for the casing 20. In the projecting spring biased pintle elements 32 at at least one of their ends which are received in the apertures in the said ears 26, 28 thereby to releasably position the pintle bar 36 in spaced relationship to the ends 22, 24 of the casing 2a).

In the form of the invention shown in FIGURES 1 through 4, the novel watch strap or bracelet is identified by general reference character 34. The strap is elongated and is composed of a plurality of linkage units 36 (FIG- URE 4). The linkage units 36 each include a rectangular, tubular link element 38, and a generally trapezoidal, tubular link element 40. The rectangular elements 38 are arranged in a row to provide one face F-l of the strap 34,

and the trapezoidal elements 40 form the opposite or re- 1 verse face F-Z thereof. As shown, suitable and different decorative designs are provided on each of the link elements forming the faces F-l and F-Z.

FIGURE 3 shows the manner of connection of the various link elements to one another, which will be recognized to those skilled in the art as conventional in the formation of expansion type bracelets, headed rivet means 42 being utilized in the usual manner to secure the links to one another.

The strap 34 includes a pair of terminal links 44, each including a rectangular, tubular main body portion 46 from one side of which projects an elongated flange 48. In the drawing, it is seen that the flange 48 is hollow and of U-shaped cross-section, including a bight portion 50 and a pair of side arms 52, 54, and the flange 48 has an apertured boss 60 substantially at the center of the bight portion 50.

Coacting with the flanges 48 of the terminal links 42 to provide linkage means between the strap 34 and the case 28 are a pair of generally cylindrical, longitudinally split sleeves 62 having connection ears 64, 66 on one side of the split portion thereof, and having an apertured boss 68 on one side thereof. As best seen in FIGURE 3, a swivel connection between the flange 4S andthe sleeve 62 is effected by means of a swivel pin 70 which has enlarged heads 72, 74 at each of its opposite ends freely rotatable in the bosses 60, 68, respectively. The sleeves 62 are secured to the pintle bars 31 and it will be noted.

that by reason of the swivel connection described above the strap 34 is capable of being inverted with respect to the case 26, thereby to render either of the faces F-l or F-2 the outer or visible face thereof, and thus to provide variance in the appearance of the strap.

As may be readily seen from the drawing, the connection means described above may be applied to most of the known type of watch straps or bracelets, it being only necessary that there exist a suflicient degree of flexibility in said strap to permit manipulation thereof during the inverting operation.

In the modification of the connection in FIGURE 5, a second means is provided for pivotally securing the distal ends of the strap 34 to the casing 20. Included in such means are a pair of terminal links 42a for the strap 34,

the links 42 being of rectangular form and having medial flanges 48a projecting from one side of their main bodies 46a. The flanges 48a have apertures formed therein adjacent their side edges, and a generally U-shaped cover plate 104, having a bight 106 and a pair of spaced apart, apertured arms I68, 110 is adapted to overlie the flange 48a and be secured thereto by rivets 112, or the like. The bight 106 of the plate 104 has a boss 114, provided with a. central aperture, formed thereon, the boss serving as support means for the head 72 (not shown in FIGURE 5) of the swivel pin 70. The other head 74 of the pin 70 is secured in the boss 68 of the sleeve 62 in the same manner as that described above.

FIGURE 6 shows another embodiment of the invention incorporating certain ancillary features not shown in the above described form thereof. In this figure, the elements similar or analogous to those shown in FIG- URES 1 through 5 are designated by the same reference characters with the letter 12 appended thereto.

The strap 34b of FIGURE 6 will be seen to include a first section 200 and a second section 202, each comprised of rectangular links 38b and trapezoidal links 40b secured to one another in the usual manner. However, each section 200 and 202 is provided with suitable and distinct faces inscribed on opposite sides thereof so that a total of four dilferent faces, A, B, C, and D, are supplied. Pivotal means, such as that shown in FIGURE 5, is supplied for connecting the proximal ends of the sections 200 and 202 to one another. In this form of the invention, it will be noted that a considerable variance in the appearance of the strap can be effected, by reason of the fact that any one of several combinations of the faces A, B, C, and D can be selected. FIGURES 7 and 8 are illustrative of a modified form of connection means for securing strap sections to one another or to the casing. In these figures, the strap sections are provided with terminal links 204 including web portions 206 and a pair of spaced and substantially parallel arms 208, 210. Each terminal link 204 further includes end walls 212, 214, but is open at its front for a purpose described hereinafter. A cover plate 216 is adapted to overlie the said open front of the terminal link 204. The cover plate 216 is also of general U-shape in cross-section, and includes a hat, centrally apertured bight portion 218 from which project arms 220, 222 having inwardly bent ridges 224, 226 formed medially thereof. The ridges abut against the outer ends of the arms 208, 210 of the terminal link 204, and the overlapping portions are secured thereto by rivet means 227.

A swivel pin 223 serves to connect the elements pivotally to one another. Swivel pin 228 includes a cylindrical stem portion having enlarged heads 230, 232 at its opposite ends. A tension spring 234 is fitted about the stern 228 between the head 230 and the bight 218, and serves, as shown in FIGURE 8, to bias the head 230 away from the bight 218 of the cover plate 216, thus only a very insignificant portion of the stem 228 is visible when the device is worn.

Having described and illustrated several embodiments of the invention in somewhat complete detail, it is to be understood that these embodiments are offered merely by way of example, and that the invention is to be limited only by the scope of the appended claim.

What is claimed is:

In a reversible strap for use with a wrist watch which includes a watch casing having spaced pairs of connection ears at its opposite ends and a pintle bar extending between the ears of each pair:

(a) an elongated, substantially rectangular strap ele ment having a first decorative face and a second, opposite decorative face;

(.5) the strap element including opposite end portions having substantially U-shaped cover plate elements, each of said plate elements including a projecting boss provided with an aperture therein;

(0) tubular sleeves about the pintle bars each including a projecting boss having an aperture therein; and

(d) swivel connection means, comprising a swivel pin extended through the apertures in adjacent bosses of the respective terminal links and sleeves and having enlarged heads at the ends thereof, received in the boss means, securing the terminal link elements of the strap to the sleeves about the pintle bars such that the strap is invertible with respect to the casing to selectively expose either of said decorative faces as an outer face of the strap.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,139,416 Hathaway May 11, 1915 2,031,110 King Feb. 18, 1936 2,266,953 Blue Dec. 23, 1941 2,322,461 Mariano June 22, 1943 2,567,398 Pfeifer Sept. 11, 1951 2,612,139 Collins Sept. 30, 1952 2,883,727 Obst Apr. 28, 1959 FOREIGN PATENTS 107,295 Great Britain June 28, 1917 208,401 Switzerland May 1, 1940 

